CAPTURED
by Zayide
Summary: MY HEART IN SHACKLES, A WILLING LIFE SENTENCE.
1. Chapter 1

**CAPTURED**

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PROLOGUE

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_**My heart in shackles, a willing life sentence.**_

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****My contentment filled me with warmth.

I never knew I would be here. like this, willingly pressing my nose to the head facing away from mine in slumber, scenting my captor.

I wrapped my arms tighter around the body next to me, for happiness was finally within my grasp.


	2. IT HITS THE FAN

A/N:

So unfair, only 2 reviews and 2 followers, though about 60 views. BUT...This story has been in the works for quite sometime. Its still not finished, but I can't keep it to myself.

A comment people! let me know your thoughts?

Editing and pre-reading credits for this story go to two wonderful ladies I met first in the world of fanfiction,

Jakejunkie (Maria Lynn) and Cheri Riser (wolfgirl_Cheri).

I miss you guys. life hasn't been the same without you.

* * *

**.*****.**

**CAPTURED**

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**Editing and Pre-reading done by the two wonderful ladies,**

**Maria Lynn and Cheri Riser**

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**$#IT HITS THE FAN...**

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**Leah**

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_Awoooo!_

A chorus of howls eerily echoed through the dark night, ghostly enough to make my skin crawl.

The peaceful calm of midnight, shattered by the urgency of the call. A chill cut right through to my bones, giving way to the desperation filtering around us. The clouds partly covered the moon threatening to swallow the light_. _While darkness prevailed, creeping shadows blanketed the forest, appearing sinister and grim.

_Awooo!_

The pounding sounds of paws hitting the wet, fallen leaves and forest grass followed as the pack answered the howl. The memory of her saddened expression, his felt torn at leaving her behind to comply with his inherited duty flowed from him before his put up the wall to keep it all inside.

His hesitance to leave her behind still stung like a thousand wasps.

It still feels unfair after all this time. I would gladly exchange places with her and bear double the scars if it would give me back my stolen happiness.

But...now is not the time. It will never be the time.

_Fucking perfect. _

Thankfully, my bitter thoughts went unnoticed as I felt his mind immediately search ours for answers to the alerting howls. We, unknowingly, bombarded him with all that was happening, and he faced us shocked and confused. I flanked him silently, feeling all the panic radiating from each pack member - including my own, but not volunteering anything.

I had certainly done enough.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Well, that's not..._completely_ true. I did DO something.

I ran.

I cut short the self-flogging party when bombarded with another wave of desperation and confusion from the pack and Sam's shock.

That sudden wave of everyone's thoughts and feelings is really nothing you ever get completely used to. In the beginning, the difficulty in navigating through our linked minds drove me to expel everything I had consumed before phasing. Being pulled in too many directions can disorient you, leaving you as dizzy as if you have drunk way past your limit. It left me nauseated and lingered long after I was human again. Well, human-looking anyway.

That nasty feeling was back after so long.

It's difficult to discern between emotions when being mind-fucked like this_, _making distance an irrelevant fact.

"Shit!" Embry shouted with a nervous quiver evident in his voice_,_"Where the HELL is SAM?"

"I don't fucking know! Howl AGAIN! We NEED him NOW!" Quil answered, just as upset. He tried to keep his mind in the game like Embry, but he couldn't separate himself from possibly losing not only his pack mate, but a life long friend. _A brother_.

He shook his fur vigorously, ridding himself off his distress to focus.

"I already did! Didn't you feel him phase?" Jared replied, sounding hopeless and frustrated.

"He's screwed, guys! We're all screwed!" Paul yelled out, uncharacteristically terrified at the thought of Jacob's capture and their secret being revealed. I shook off his thoughts and tried to focus on Sam.

**"ENOUGH! **WHAT the HELL is GOING ON?" Sam said. I kept my pace fast to meet him and silence ensued. Images from different perspectives flooded though our minds: a huge russet wolf, the second in command, being hauled into a cage by several laughing poachers and the truck speeding away.

Embry and Paul began tracking them, trying to find their destination.

Jacob was in deep shit.

"Care to explain HOW the HELL this happened?" Sam growled, obviously furious...and terrified.

"It was my fault Sam..." I whimpered, lying low on the ground, quivering in misery and guilt. "He came to relieve me from my shift and we got into an argument. They were downwind! We never knew they were coming! By the time we noticed it was too late. He was hit. I wanted to stay behind - help him - but he _ordered_ me to go and leave him! What was I _supposed_ to do?" I explained, spitting the word ordered out with as much disgust as I could muster while still wallowing.

After a pensive moment, Sam stepped toward me with his borrowed authority, "Show me."

My mind opened, finally showing him everything.

_**~*~flashback~*~**_

"Hey! Go home. I got it from here,"_ Jacob said__._

"Sorry Beta! Can't leave you to patrol alone. Pack protocol..."_ I retorted, mentally rolling my __eyes at his lame attempt to dismiss me._

"I can hack it alone. Besides, I want a few minutes to myself,"_ he grumbled, wanting a little time to ponder on what life has become for us. Predestined being alone till a dead ancient spirit deems some poor soul worthy of sharing our burden by simply attaching them willing or unwilling to one of us permanently via the voodoo, wolfy-mojo-clusterfuck, called imprinting._

"No way,"_ I __huffed. _"I ain't getting chewed out because you want to mope around and cry like a little bitch, oh brooding one."

_Jacob shook his head from side to side, annoyed and irritated. _

"Leah,"_ his thoughts warned and his wolf snarled._

_A quiet, swift movement assaulted Jacob, who visibly jolted. We looked back to find several shiny metal cylinders pointing at us. _

"What in the hell...?"_ I asked, stunned by their appearance and frozen in place._

_We were being...hunted._

"No fucking way, Leah! RUN! GET YOUR ASS OUT OF HERE! I'll keep them busy and lose them!"_ Jacob yelled at me,_ _while making a defensive stance, growling __at the squinted eyes zeroing down on them._

"We can take them, Jacob!" _I growled loudly, crouching, ready to pounce on the poachers._

_By the look on his face, he was clearly bewildered with my lack of self-preservation. He thought I was being stupid, but I couldn't just leave him in this situation. Could I? _

"Get out of here! NOW!**"**_ Jacob roared as he got hit three more times. _

_He staggered a bit, shaking his head, appearing unstable.._.clearly _woozy._

_I watched as he turned, eyeing the stings he obviously felt, realizing the shots were really darts. His eyes stayed firmly glued to me as I reluctantly moved to the safe covering of the trees. Once I was there, Jacob took off in the opposite direction. It was clear he was moving slower than his usual speed to make sure that they followed him and away from me. _

C'mon, you bastards! Take the bait!_ Jacob's thoughts yelled in my head._

_I__ didn't want to, but I had no other choice than to obey a direct order. I took off howling for help._

"I'll bring the others! Just hang on!"_ I pleaded. _

_I howled desperately and felt them all phase quickly at the sound of the alarm._

"A leech better be out there! I'm on a dat-"_ Paul's rant cut short by the pure disorientation prevalent in the pack mind._

_As well as the excuses from an annoyed Quil,_ "I know, I know! I'm on my-"

"What the hell?! Shit!"_ Embry said, rapidly moving towards Jacob's site._

"Who the hell?"_ Jared added, surprised at the scene playing in his head._

_Seth's mind was utterly silent and his wolf immobile as Paul swooped by him to catch up to Embry. _

"Sam! Where's Sam? I can't stop them! Help Jacob! The poachers have him!"_ My breath shortened, not because of running, but because my pack brother was __in trouble._

"Stay back! Don't let them see you!"_ Jacob ordered sleepily, disabling any of us from getting close enough to help him._

_Quill joined with me as we howled in alarm for Sam, closely followed by another as Embry and Paul responded. _

_Awooo, awooo, awooooooo!_

_Awoooo, awooooo!_

_Awooooooooo!_

_Awoooo!_

_Another howl ripped though the night air as t__he twins, Collin and Brady, phased in and were immediately flushed with a rush of information, silencing them before either could form a coherent thought._

_Their only reaction was to run towards their brothers to offer any kind of help they could give and to await orders._

_The weight of the situation seemed far too much to bear. _

_Every member of the pack felt frantic and desperate to help our brother. We fumbled though each other's mind looking for direction but unable to move._

"Wake the fuck up! Don't you DARE give up!"_ I growled determined but weakly towards Jacob._

_Determined to not let this happen I growled as I demanded,_ "Call that son of a bitch! Now!"

_Awoooo!_

_Awooo, Awooo,Awooo!_

_Awooo, Awoooo!_

_Awooo!_

_**~*~**__**end flashback~*~**_

I lowered my head, ashamed_._ My body quivered as I lost my wolf form and collapsed to the wet mud, emotionally exhausted.

_A_ heart wrenching sound reached my ears.

My throat burned.

I raked at the moist soil under my fingers feeling both frustrated and helpless. That's when I realized: that sound was coming from me.

"Ahhhh!" I sobbed.

Seth phased out and picked me up while the others all turned their heads. The shock of what had happened and my inability to act was weighing me down. Seth whispered comforting words while holding me tightly as I allowed myself to have this weak moment. His soft words didn't do their job. I didn't want to be consoled.

I just...couldn't. Stop. Crying.

"Its okay, Lee. It's not your fault. C'mon, put this on," Seth quietly urged.

After I got dressed, Seth turned to the pack. "I'm taking her home. I'll be back."

"NO! I have to help!" I protested, pushing around Seth.

Sam barked and walked behind some bushes to phase out.

"Right now you are-" he began to say, but I cut him off.

"I have to Sam! He's in this because he saved my ass!" I shouted.

Sam paused, taking in my heated argument. My appearance must have been epic: blotchy face, red streaked eyes, my voice raspy and strained.

I know that he could hear my rapid beating heart, beating against my rib cage...memories that should work to my favor this instant.

**H**e took a deep breath, then exhaled loudly, making a show of thinking about his options.

"Okay...but one fuck up and you go straight home._" _ His voice was stern as he tried to keep a strong front, but his eyes showed me he understood.

"Seth, stay in La Push with Collin and Brady. You will be in charge. Collin is your second until we return. Tell the Elders and Billy what happened. We'll be in touch. Leah, you are the fastest. Go get us all a change of clothes and tell Emily_**...**_" he paused, " tell her to give you our emergency stash."

I nodded, ignoring the immediate need to snarl and to roll my eyes at having to contact Emily_,_ and started to sprint when Jared stopped me.

"Wait!" We all turned to him.

"Paul said his keys are behind the flower-pot by the kitchen window. His stash is in the drawer by the fridge. Embry's stash is under the computer, and Quil said to ask his grandfather for his car savings. Tell Kim to give you my bank card too." We all stared at him. He started to fidget.

"What?" He asked uncomfortably.

"It's not necessary..." Sam trailed off, shifting his hands and nervously scratching at the back of his head.

"We know...but just in case," Jared pleaded.

Sam nodded and looked to Seth and I. "Drive my truck to the edge of the forest and wait there until we know how far they took ! Everyone else: phase and follow me. Let's go!" he ordered.

As soon as I phased, I searched to look through Paul's and Embry's eyes.

_"Where are you?"_ I asked_**.**_

They were still running by the highway.

_"Still heading down 101. I hope they're not __headed out-of-state!"_ Paul said.

_"Keep following! We're heading your way."_ Sam told them, having phased in shortly after I did and heard the report.

All our thoughts were full of worry for our pack brother, but then a quiet thought broke out making all other thoughts silent.

_What if he phases back while knocked out..._

Shit.

When it rains, it pours...


	3. NEW HOME?

Captured

Ch.2

Bella POV

_riiing...riiiing..._

Ugh. Who could be calling me at...2 AM?

"Hello?" I said as my voice betrayed my sleep deprived state_._

_"Boy, do I got something you wanna see Doc!" _His cheery tone came across the line way too chipper for my mood.

"Who..? What?" I responded, feeling groggy and unable to grasp his words or who it was on the other line.

_"Dr. Cullen gave me yo__ur number. He said to contact you when I found something worth your time...and money. My name is Kendall. I am a live price hunter. Dr. Cullen mentioned you were into research. I capture and auction on the black market, but I have a feeling that this one will peak your interest. I'm giving you the privilege of first pick."_ he explained, obviously thinking he was doing me a benevolent favor.

His words shot though me with realization quicker than caffeine, effectively waking me up. Dr. Cullen had advised me about this man and had given me the funds for such a deal. Kendall Cole was a money hungry poacher.

With that prior knowledge in mind, I replied, "What makes you think you hold something of interest to me?"

_"You study wolves. And boy do I have one for you!" _He responded with a smug tone.

"Kendall? Is it? I have seven wolves at my lab right now. In fact, they are even from two different packs! What makes this one so special that you couldn't wait until morning to contact me?" I said, trying to sound annoyed and uninterested but internally fearful for the poor wolf currently in his possession.

_"Well, you see, this wolf is the size of a horse. But, if you are not interested, then..."_ he started to fade, as if he was already pulling the cell away from his face, ready to hang up.

"Wait! What did you say?! The size of a horse?! That's impossible!" I reacted, shocked by the information he had just provided me.

_"I guess THAT caught your attention, eh doc?"_ He said sounding even more smug than before.

"What's your price? And I need to see that the creature is still alive-and with minimal damage- in order to proceed." I stated, hoping for the best.

_"An animal this rare? Hmmm... he could be considered priceless to science. In fact, it could be a new discovery,"_ he taunted. Fortunately I had been advised of Kendall's negotiation techniques, so I wasn't shocked by his taunting attitude. I had had enough though, and I pushed him to get to the point.

"Enough jabber, Kendall. It's late and my patience is short! Price?"

_"Ha! Right to the point! I like that!"_

I rolled my eyes at his comment, impatient for his actual response.

_"Well...I think...eh...five thousand should be fairly cheap. In the black market I could probably get five times that!_

_Now that I think about it,__maybe I should..."_ he started, trailing off.

"Would ten thousand buy him, as well as your silence regarding his existence?" I questioned, knowing that he had more to bargain with. Little did he know that I did as well.

_"I'm not sure about that considering the size of it, and the fact that it's merely asleep. He has flawless fur, and it took all of my men to get him into the cage..."_ he stated, obviously weighing his 'value.' _"I don't know ...maybe I should go through auction."_

"Fifteen grand CASH, Mr. Kendall. You are trying my patience." I said letting him hear the anger in my voice.

_"Make it a round twenty and we'll answer all you want to know."_ His smile came though the line as nasty as his voice as he milked the value of the poor creature in his possession for all its worth. Ugh.

"You drive a hard bargain, Mr. Kendall. Deal."

I gave him the address to the rendezvous point and hung up to get myself ready to meet the slime-ball at the lab.

By the time I had reached the lab, I was already getting desperate. From the time I received the call from Kendall, my instincts and curiosity had shot into overtime.

That was over three hours ago.

The screeching of a buzzer through a speaker brought me out of my reflective trance.

_That must be them._

I took a deep breath, straightened my white lab coat and deposited a syringe of Diazepam into the pocket, just in case.

I am not dense.

These men are used to making a living out of getting away with virtually "kidnapping" wild creatures by force. What would they would be willing to do to another human? I wasn't going to let myself be the worm in the chicken coop. This syringe will at least serve as an assurance that one of them to be down for the count. I made a mental note to mention the cameras recording our transaction as well.

I walked to the wall where the receiver was, saw the cage on wheels, and buzzed them in. Quickly, I began making my way down the hallway toward the garage. I tried desperately to compose my excitement at this new arrival. I needed to remain calm and at ease in order to appraise the condition and weigh the truth of the poacher's words, without my enthusiasm enticing him to raise the price.

At the garage gate, I was met by three roughnecks decked in hunting gear.

I jerked back, scrunching my face, as their offending odor assaulting me.

They smirked and turned to stare at me while I peered at them though the steel gate. I mechanically pushed the button to raise the gate while trying to sneak a look at the monstrous animal he had described.

"Which one of you is Kendall?" I asked as I eyed each of them suspiciously.

One of them approached me, meeting me at the gate of his makeshift cage in the rear of the truck.

Without a word, he opened the gate to reveal the most amazing creature I have ever laid eyes on. He might as well had brought me a unicorn.

I worked hard to keep myself under control, showing no outward indication as to how shocked I was actually feeling.

"The money will be yours after I make sure of his condition, per our agreement," I said turning to look him in the eye.

His dirty smile never left his face.

"Of course," he grinned wider.

"And FYI...there are cameras all over this place. Plus, I have let you out with a code from here while you wait at the front gate. Just so don't get any funny ideas. Are we clear?" I snapped at his smug expression, which suddenly lost luster, proving my suspicions true.

"Crystal clear. Where do you want him?"

Jacob POV

_Ugh...my head..._

"Where do you want him?" A foggy, gruff male voice asked.

I opened my eyes and quickly shut them when the bright lighted room was too bright for my pupils to handle.

_Damn, what-ta hell happened? and where the fuck am I?_

A wave of pain struck me again.

_shit. my head..._

I tried putting my hand over my face and its when I noticed I was in wolf form.

"Put him inside, through the third lab door, and wait there. I will be right in," a soft but commanding female voice answered as the squeaks of her sneakers and the volume of her voice diminished as she moved farther away.

_Lab?!_

That's when the memory of what had happened came back in a rush. One of my wonderful chats with Leah, the stings of the darts, the hidden hunters, passing out...

_Shit! I got caught!_

I pressed my paw down to ready myself to bolt out, noticing that I was laying on a firm, metal flat. I peeked with the eye closest to the ground and saw the thick, metallic bars.

"You heard the doc! Let's go!" Another younger male voice yelled.

_Lab? Doc? The bastards sold me to become a lab rat?!_

Suddenly the squeaking stopped and she spoke again.

"Make sure to be gentle and don't disturb him. I'm sure you've done enough damage," the woman scolded. Then the squeaking resumed and got faint.

That's when I noticed that under the stench of pungent musky body odor from the poachers was a slight pleasant smell.

_It must be her._

I mused as her perfume _drifted_ with her distance...

_God...the sweet scent of strawberries...light..._

"Sweet, ain't she?" A third male voice commented lewdly, interrupting my dreamy thought process.

"I'd like to do her some damage!" The first male suggested, earning a cackle of agreements from the others.

I held back a growl that threatened to erupt from my chest at his innuendo. Right now wouldn't be the best time to give myself away.

"Alright! Let's get this show on the road! This fucker's huge! And though we got good cash for him I don't want to give it overtime!" The third voice said.

"You heard him, ladies! Greg! Get on the fork!" The second male yelled out.

I heard the fast movement of squeaking shoes then it stopped.

An engine started followed by repetitive beeps.

The beeping finally stopped as the humming of the forklift arm moved into position.

"Slowly! Don't jostle it!" The first voice said.

"Hey, Brent! Guide me!" Yelled the guy that must be driving the forklift.

"A little to your left! Straighten it out! good! forward! Keep going! Keep going!" A shake of the cage rattled the whole thing after a metallic _**CLANK**__**!**_

"You're good, G! Lift the beast!" Brent said.

The cage shook as it lifted with the stressed hum of the fork lift. Another _clank!_

"Go slow through the gate into the lab! We're right behind you."

The engine hum and the jolt told me of the move.

I chanced opening my eyes again, to try and figure out my location and maybe a way out, but when I did, I saw nothing but white walls and artificial fluorescent light.

Suddenly, a familiar voice mixed in with my thoughts while I was lost in my surroundings.

_"Don't worry, Jake. We are busting you out tonight," _Sam informed me.

_"Wow! I must be really out of it if I couldn't feel you in my head!" I thought, surprised._

_"Must be the sedative. We are going to try and rescue you after they are gone for the day. We'll phase in periodically to check in with you and inform you of any progress. Meanwhile, rest up. Try not to phase," _headvised.

_"Not trying." _I thought, mentally rolling my eyes at his comment, _"I ain't no rookie," _I mumbled.

He ignored my petulant behavior and continued barking orders.

_"Embry, Paul, stay on watch duty but in human form. Four hour shifts. The rest of yo__u: come with me. We'll go into town-get a plan in the works. Paul and Embry, do you guys h__ave _your _cellphones?" _

_"No," _Embry replied. _S__hit!_ He mentally chastised himself as he remembered dismissively walking by his cell with the passing thought that howling would be enough of a call if help should be needed.

_"Sorry boss!" _Paul apologized, remembering that before he phased he had walked right passed it on his kitchen counter- annoyed at the interruption - to answer the _other_ call.

_"Kiss ass," _Quil commented quietly.

_"Not a time for jokes!" _Sam barked at him angrily.

Our telepathic conversation was interrupted as they "felt" as my stomach sank with sudden fear at the sudden jostle of the cage.

"Right here on the left," she informed Greg. The cage jolted and I felt the tilt of a turn. It felt weird, like having vertigo or being sea sick. Thank goodness there was no real nausea.

_"I'm sorry, man!" _Quil's shame and remorse for his out of place comment was felt through the link as he apologized.

_"I don't want apologies! I want action! We need to get Jacob out of captivity before they find us out!"_ Sam's angry growl was filled with concern for my situation and the pack's future, as well as for the tribe .

Silence reigned through the link for a few minutes as the cage was lowered. I sensed none of them wanting to leave me behind, but knowing they had to.

_"Go. I'll be fine, guys__,__" _ I said weakly. The remnants of the sedative still making me groggy.

"Careful!" The suddenly loud female voice echoed in the large empty space. I could feel my brothers anxiety and fear of what they might witness, while wishing there was more they could do.

_"Go, guys! Get your shit together and get me the fuck outta here," _I thought to them.

Sam sighed before speaking, and I felt their morale drop a bit more.

_"Yeah...okay...phase out everyone." _

And just like that, they were all gone. Except Embry.

_"We'll get you out, bro," _he promised sadly.

_"I know,"_ I said reassuringly. And then, he too was gone.

In my sedated state, I heard her voice getting closer.

"How much did you shoot him with?" Her voice expressed concern, and I could smell her fear as her heart beat frantically.

"Enough to put an elephant out for a couple of days! He ain't going anywhere for a while. Might wake with a hell of a hangover though," Brent said chuckling. The woman let out an exaggerated breath she must have been holding.

"Bastards," she whispered as the gate to the cage was clicked open. My muscles tensed a bit as I readied myself to sprint out of here-_given the chance_-but forced myself to stay still.

"Are you sure you want to go in there, doc?" Greg said with concern for her.

"Do you three have more darts?" She asked, her trembling voice closer to my side.

"Armed and ready," he responded as someone cocked their tranquilizer gun to prove his point.

"I shouldn't have anything to worry about then. Plus, with all you have shot him with already, I'm actually more worried about whether he will survive his capture," she said.

As I felt a needle puncture my hind, I whimpered quietly and managed a slight flinch, unable to hold back any longer.

She gasped and I felt the cage rattle as she fell back.

After a few seconds of me not moving, she got up, finished whatever she was doing, removed the needle and cleaned up the puncture.

"See! Safe and sound. Now, if you could _please_ pass me those cables there," she said, her body moving across mine to reach for them.

"Electric shock? Doc! I didn't know you had it in you!" an older voice joked, earning a round of cackling laughter but not making me feel better- at all.

"You disgust me. It's a monitor, much like the ones used for humans to keep check of vitals," She explained, not holding back on her disdain for the hunters, then she mumbled too low for them to hear... "unlike you. Poor thing...what did they do to you?"

Her heartbreaking tone soothed my fears a little, as she wrapped the contraptions around me.

"Once I'm done with these tests, provided it's healthy, you will have your money. Meanwhile, help yourselves to anything in the lunchroom. It's two doors down to the right, through the single swinging doors. This will take me approximately thirty to forty-five minutes, then we'll talk about what you know," she said to the poachers.

"Don't you want us to stay here in case it wakes up to? You know...to tranq it?" Greg asked bewildered.

"Nah!" She said as she kissed my snout and caressed my neck.

_That felt soo goood._

"You drugged him so much he'll probably be out until tonight," she said kissing my snout again. Her scent intoxicated my senses once again.

_Strawberries. _

I felt almost drunk by the scent's close proximity.

_What is wrong with me? _

I mentally tried to shrug away my spaced-out state.

"Fine. It's your funeral," a male voice said halting my euphoric coma. "C'mon boys! Let's leave the doc to...er, whatever she's doing...however kinky it may be..." Brent insinuated, not even trying to hide his smirk, walking further away as he spoke.

"Ugh." She sounded disgusted. I mentally nodded in agreement.

_I wonder why she is buying animals from poachers though?_

The doors bumped as they swung back and forth from their exit.

"Scum like that should not be so concentrated," she commented to herself.

_I couldn't agree more._

"As for you, big fella... You. Are. Gorgeous!" She professed sweetly.

It made me feel a little smug.

"I just hope you are alright," she finished thoughtfully.

She pet me once more, got up, and closed the cage behind herself. She picked up something from the floor and I just decided to sneak a peek at her.

Her back was to me.

She wore a white lab coat, like I imagined she would. Her hair was to the middle of her back, full, with ringlets of rich mahogany and a few natural highlights. She must be wearing a skirt because all I could see was her milky white legs, ending with a pair of ladies wedged moccasins.

Beside the desk further to the left were a pair of heels.

_She must prefer to be comfortable._

She moved from machine to machine, facing away from me, while she performed her tests.

As time passed, the effects of the drugs started to weaken, allowing me to be more alert. Yet I stayed still, faking my slumber to learn more of my keeper and biding my time to plan my escape with the aid of my brothers.

"Incredible..."

"Impossible..."

"Hmm...couldn't be..." I heard her mumble.

She appeared to be talking to herself regarding the tests.

_Probably, because she spent a lot of time here, alone._

She appeared young, approximately my age.

"I'm going to have to do this quick," she sighed.

Suddenly she turned, and I tensed, closing my eyes as to not give myself away.

"be right back, tough guy." She said softly, as she crouched and petted me through the bars.

Her gesture was way too nurturing.

Affectionate even.

It confused me further as to why she would need the help of poachers for acquiring subjects. Then again, I was thankful that I ended up here, and not at some freak show.

Let's hope my judgement was not impaired by the massive drug hit I had received.

After being left alone, not only by my brothers but also by my captor, I allowed my fears to overcome me a little.

_What could my pack possibly do to get me out of this? What will happen to me while I am here? _

_Shit...What will my father do when they tell him?_


	4. Pack Politics

Captured

Ch.3

Sam POV

(After phasing out)

The mood was grim and solemn. We all stood there after getting dressed in silence.

As Leah came back from behind the shrubs she used for privacy, she voiced her opinion.

"I don't think it's a good idea to not have someone phased with Jacob, Sam."

"I can't risk another one getting caught, Leah," I said lowering my head shamefully, I just couldn't shake the fear for both, the fate of my brother and the risk to any other member of the pack. If she would have been phased, her hackles would've raised and her snarl would have rattled the ground we stood on.

"He's alone, you asshole!" She yelled back, unshed tears making her beautiful fierce eyes glisten. Her emotions got the best of her while the others just watched. Eyes bounced back and forth as the words were exchanged. The fact that they were agreeing with both of us made them unable to speak freely.

I felt miserable. Devoid of energy.

Deciding that ignoring her insubordinate rant was the way to go, I started to bark out orders.

"Someone has to brief Billy and the other elders. Leah..." I said, thinking it was best to mobilize and for everyone to do something when she interrupted me.

"Don't you dare, Sam! I'm staying! Tell one of the rookies to do the footwork," she barked at me furiously.

I sighed.

She was going to hate me for this, but she gave me no choice. I straightened my back and looked at her eyes, watching her tense as I began to speak.

"**SILENCE**. You know full well that all the younger ones were left behind. THAT makes YOU the rookie. Now, **you will do as I say and head to Billy's to brief him. Have him discuss the situation with the elders. Also, since we have no phones, it makes sense to send someone in case they need to send something to us**. Not that you need any explanations..." I said in my alpha tone. She couldn't refuse me this way. And it irked her. I should be a pile of ashes by the way her eyes burned me.

"**Go!**"

She turned and phased without taking her clothes off first.

Shreds of fabric fell slowly - like confetti - as the dust left by her speed created a cloud in her wake.

I sighed, bent and started to feel as if the whole fiasco had taken more out of me than what I could give.

Once she was gone, Jared turned to me.

"She's just being Leah, bro. You had to. Billy and the elders need to know. It was the right thing to do," he said, ranting, trying to make me feel better.

It didn't work.

"Then why do I feel like shit?" I muttered. It wasn't a question, I was stating a fact.

They all knew how much I hated making Leah - of all people - do something against her will. Having her around me made everything more difficult...but I needed her near me. Torturing me with her presence. It was bittersweet.

Though I was proud to be chosen for something so important, the whole situation surrounding our break-up made me insanely resentful towards the ancestors and the spirits for being born like this. I hated myself too. Specially after...I shook my head trying to erase the haunting thought, but no matter what I did it was something I will never be able to forget.

It was in her eyes every time I locked mine to hers. It was something I'd try to avoid at all costs.

Not expecting an answer to the 'rhetorical question', I turned and walked towards town. I barely slowed down to grab the bag that contained our belongings...or what little we brought. In reality, it simply contained a tee and a pair of shoes for the one that would need to be in public to make all the purchases.

_Most likely me._

My mind reeled my lifetime for me...again.

_As if I could forget. _

After phasing the first time, I tried for so long to go through with our relationship, but my wolf senses betrayed me. That side of me knew somehow, something was going to trigger her change. It must have. It was an unforeseen occurrence within the ranks of prior packs for a very long time.

When I explained it, I tried leaving that part of the information out, but the council...saw fit...to make her understand more than just pack politics.

They had other plans for her though.

Apparently, Leah had her role in the pack to play. She was sent for the first few years to live with the shaman in the forest, to train for a future propheted insight. Barely participating in pack duties, doing shortened patrols, expanding these only when the others were sent on 'hunting expeditions'.

With time and understanding of what happened, her sadness and disappointment in her cousin and myself grew to anger, simmering in to loathing for anything pack related. She adopted a resentful look that had made permanent residence on her beautiful face. Her attitude was a angry, sporadic, vengeful...her words stung like slaps in the face...she spat her remarks like spewing poison and anything good was in company of a sarcastic tone.

Yet...the Leah I saw today, that was the old Leah pushing her way through. Her heart was in this fight, I felt it, and It...hurt.

It reminded me of the day I broke her heart...of the day I ripped her heart out when she saw Emily and I together for the first time.

That was the day I saw her heart bleeding on the floor with its last beats as the council told her how she would be barren because she had become one of us.

The day the old Leah died and became the shadow she was today.

"Town is a quarter mile this way," I said. Jared followed silently without missing a beat.

I was thankful for the small reprieve.

I needed to get my thoughts coherent enough to make a plan, but with Paul and Embry still on intel recon, we really don't have much to go on. Then, I'll send Jared and Quil made rounds, hoping that we can all get enough information to think of something. Maybe Leah had made it back by then so I could get in contact with Billy and the other elders soon...have enough info in four hours to start thinking of something.

So far so good.

_I just hope Jacob had that long._


	5. 5 QUESTIONS

CAPTURED

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Chapter 5

Questions

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Beta: The magnificent MIST

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Bella POV

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I was in front of my desk top computer - surrounded by the results from the tests I had run - in an analyzing daze. Trying to make sense of the incredible information I had acquired from the few observations I was able to make from this creature.

_This is insane. Temperature is elevated to 108*F. His immense size is massive. 72 inches in length. I agree with that asshole. This poor thing is the size of an 18 hands horse! I wonder if the sedative dose caused the rise in temperature?_

To make matersmatters worse the results to the DNA test came from a contaminated batch.

_Inconclusive. Has to be. How else would I explain this animal having human strands? I will have to run these tests once more today-later though._

"Gonna have to do this quick..." I muttered to myself, thinking of the three poachers I had to get rid of before my boss arrived. I was also thinking about all I had to do before I locked this room.

I was given my personal lab after working with the research department for three years.

Currently I helped Dr. Cullen with his research while I found my own project to work on.

I was concentrating on how the growing pollution in Washington was affecting wolves in their

environmentEnvironment, diminishing their population, and possibly causing them to migrate.

With no current funding, my employer became interested and decided that my cause was worth his millions.

The subjects I acquire are captured beasts from many, some rescued from poachers,

Etcetera. After acquisition, they are nursed to health, then tagged and released back into the wild.

Data of their migration patterns is collected electronically and studied by yours truly. So far I have collected data from ten packs thanks to the process. And only one fatality.

I knew that my next step was to get the intelIntel needed from the poachers, then nurse, tag, and release.

But this was not a regular wolf - meaning, this peaks my interest further - so more research was

required to find answers to my questions. And I needed to keep this very, very quiet.

I walked to the cage of my new subject. My beautiful new enigma.

I crouched and reaching his sleeping form to caress his softer than silk fur. I told him, "bBe right back, tough guy."

I walked out of my lab, and into the lunchroom down the hall.

They were stuffing their faces with junk food from the machines. There were wrappers and crumbs everywhere-on the table, on the floor- and their feet were propped up on the tables as they leaned back, teeter-totting on the rear two legs of the chairs.

_Ugh. Disgusting pigs._

"Well gentlemen, I have some questions for you," I said as I pulled a chair to the wall by the door to sit on while I _'interviewed' _them. No way was I going to sit at _that _table until it was cleaned thoroughly and sanitized.

_Gross._

I proceeded to ask a series of questions with a recorder in hand, planning to take notes from it later. Also asked for their phone numbers to be reached in case of further inquiries. Something that earned me very unsettling innuendos.

_ugh__Ugh__. Did I mention__ed__...eewww!_

I was able to get them out with ample time to get my new wolf taken care of before my boss arrived. I made sure to leave plenty of water and meat, plus access to a patch of grassy flooring inside the quarantine area. This required me to use the forklift once again to reposition the large cage in which he was in.

By the time Dr. Cullen arrived, I could barely contain my excitement and was mentally distracted by my new subject.

_Keeping my new friend a secret is going to be harder than I thought._

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A/N:

Sorry its such a small update after so long! I'm working on it!


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